The One With The Cake At The End
by Red Bess Rackham
Summary: One evening, Bruce and Thor find themselves alone in the Tower, bored with nothing to do (they're all caught up on Game of Thrones). Bruce suggests they bake a cake. Pointless fluff, Bruce & Thor friendship/bonding (no slash). Team dynamics, Domestic Avengers. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** Don't own the rights; for entertainment purposes only.

**A/n:** So **inkspire** and I seem to have this condition where the Avengers live in our heads on a daily basis. The only problem is that when they're talking and doing stuff, for some reason Thor and Bruce are either absent or quiet. As a result, we felt like we don't have enough of a feel for their characters. We decided to try and remedy that (or start to) by each writing a oneshot centered on the pair doing something together (hers is still a work in progress). Here's mine! Major thanks to The Beta Branch, Cariadne in particular, for helping me smooth and fill this out. :)

This fic contains: pointless fluff and fun, Thor and Bruce friendship & bonding, and general team banter. Enjoy, lovelies!

_**Prompt/premise:** The other members of the team are out doing stuff (doesn't matter what). Thor and Bruce are at the Tower, by themselves, bored (and they're all caught up on Game of Thrones). What happens next?_

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**The One With The Cake At The End**

It was a quiet evening in the Tower. Tony and Pepper were out on a date, Steve had been sent on a small recon mission, and Clint and Natasha were who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. Thor was pacing a little bit, bored and unsure what to do with the empty night before him. Bruce was seated at a stool in the kitchen area nearby, having previously been tinkering in the lab. He'd felt bad leaving Thor alone upstairs with nothing to do, so he'd come up to see if he could find something to occupy their time.

They were, unfortunately, entirely caught up on _Game of Thrones_.

"I apologize, my friend," said Thor, raking his fingers through long golden hair. "I have not been this idle in so long. I admit I am at a loss as to how best to occupy my time."

Bruce crossed his arms over his chest and sort of shrugged. "I know the feeling. I, uh, I find I usually need to do something with my hands in my downtime. Helps the time pass, occupies my mind, you know."

The god nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Do you have a suggestion?"

"Actually, I was thinking, um, that we could bake something. If you're up for it," suggested Bruce. He knew his friend wasn't skilled with the electronics and mechanics that Tony and Bruce usually tinkered with down in the lab in their spare time.

Thor clapped his hands together. "Jane and Darcy have been teaching me how to make many things. I enjoy it!"

"Have they showed how to bake a cake yet?"

"I believe not," the god replied.

"Um," said Bruce. "Well, if you're going to be sticking around Midgard, you should probably know how to make a cake. It's sort of a staple for us."

"Staple?" Thor's forehead crinkled in confusion.

"Yeah, uh, necessity."

"Ah," the god's brow cleared and he smiled. "In Asgard, having delicious mead is the mark of a good feast. That is most certainly a _staple_ for my people."

Bruce nodded approvingly then gestured to the kitchen. "Well, let's get started."

Together they found all the ingredients necessary for the cake in the various cupboards. Bruce used to know the recipe off by heart, but it had been years since he'd properly made one, so he searched for a recipe book before Jarvis chimed in helpfully that he'd found them a recipe to suit their needs.

Even after a few months of officially living in the Tower, Bruce still found it hard to get used to talking to Jarvis, but he thanked him anyways. A projection of the recipe appeared above the counter before them and Thor shot his friend a pleased smile.

"I'll get you going here," said Bruce and pointed out the first line of instructions in the recipe. "Says, uh, to start with one and three-quarter cups of flour." He was about to point to the bag of flour, but Thor was already measuring it out. Bruce blinked in surprise.

Thor leaned forward towards the recipe projection and read, "Next to add is… one and one half cups of sugar."

"You can read?" Bruce blurted without thinking. "I mean, sorry, of _course_ you can read, I just meant _English_. I'm, um, surprised you can... read English." Bruce trailed off uncomfortably, realizing how stupid he sounded, but Thor took no offense.

"It is through the Allspeak that I can understand your language. It allows Asgardians to converse, write, or even read most any language in the Nine Realms. I can read a great deal many other languages, though they are ancient and not known to Earth." He smiled a bit wryly. "I do not think that my knowledge of those will be helpful here, however."

Bruce shrugged. "With all the stuff we run into from other dimensions? You never know. We may need you as a translator one day."

Thor chuckled and proceeded to add the cocoa, salt and baking soda to the silver mixing bowl before him.

"Well, here I was going to walk you through how to make a cake." Bruce shook his head in amusement. He faced the recipe screen. "Jarvis? Uh, would you mind bringing up a bread recipe as well?"

_"Of course, sir._"

The screen immediately shifted and split, so the two recipes were side by side; the one for a simple chocolate cake in front of Thor, and then a recipe for bread appeared before Bruce. The physicist set to work immediately as Thor began mixing the wet ingredients for the cake in a separate bowl.

"Do you bake often?" asked the god after a few moments of companionable silence.

"I used to, some," replied Bruce, tilting his head to the side. "I mostly cook, more than bake. And nothing really fancy. Did you, uh, ever cook in Asgard?" He felt silly for asking, as he assumed he knew the answer already, but thought it would be rude not to return the question.

Thor shook his blonde head. "Great feasts were prepared for us during times of celebration or mourning – special occasions, like you do here, but I did not have a hand in fixing them. I have been to the kitchens, but," and here the god blushed and Bruce couldn't help smiling, having never seen this particular look on his friend's face before. "My reasons for being there were certainly not to prepare food."

"Uh huh," Bruce pursed his lips, nodding. "So you're, uh, saying you were a ladies man, up there? A bit? Or a prankster?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or both?"

Thor's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I cannot in good conscience admit to those events in my past."

"Oh, I am so telling Tony about this," Bruce teased as he added more flour to the dough before him.

Thor poured his chocolate cake mixture into a pan and then faced the interior of the kitchen, where the oven was situated. Most of the appliances in Tony's house were high tech, and that was another thing in the Tower that Bruce was still getting used to. He glanced over his shoulder at the shiny stainless steel stove, which was turned off and had no visible buttons or knobs. Bruce looked back down at his hands, sticky with dough.

"Uh… Jarvis? Could you…?"

The oven blinked on with a musical tone.

_"The oven is preheating to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, as your recipe specifies, sir. You may insert your cake pan into the oven when you hear the beep."_

Thor seemed a touch bewildered at this, but like Bruce, he was gradually getting used to the way Tony (and Jarvis) ran things in the Tower. The god had been quite startled and confused the first few days after he'd arrived from Asgard when different parts of the house spoke to him (something which Tony, naturally, found hilarious).

After the oven beeped, Thor grasped the handle, opened the oven and carefully slid the cake pan inside. Though Bruce truly had done little more than stand beside him and watch, he couldn't help feeling a little bit absurdly proud, knowing it was technically Thor's first cake.

The god brushed his hands back and forth to get the flour off of them. "Well," he boomed. "What next?"

"We, um, just wait for it to cook," said Bruce, kneading his bread dough.

Thor settled onto one of the kitchen stools with a sigh. "I like this baking as much as I enjoy cooking," he commented. "There is something… almost _peaceful_ about it, in a way."

The physicist nodded. "I think so too. Though to hear Tony talk, the act of cooking is like one of the nine circles of hell."

Thor's laugh was a loud rumble. He looked thoughtfully at the holographic cake recipe, now backwards to him as he was on the opposite side of the counter. "Computer Man, pardon, but may I attempt a cookie recipe as well?"

"_Easily, sir_."

The cake recipe disappeared and was replaced instantly by a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thor's features broke into a wide grin and he hopped up to begin the new project. Bruce suppressed a grin of his own, amused at the sight of Thor's excitement.

"Darcy taught me this one," the god said with a touch of pride. "It is one of her favorites, so we have made it often. Though we have enjoyed the _dough_ more than the cookies much of the time – another thing she has taught me."

"She is clearly a woman of good taste," Bruce remarked. He had enjoyed Darcy's company a handful of times, mostly when she joined the team once in a while for movie nights. She was spunky and friendly, and he knew how fond Thor was of her.

The dough for Bruce's bread was ready to rise, so he placed it into a bowl and covered it with a patterned tea towel, before setting it near the stove where it was warm.

After he was finished, he helped Thor mix up some cookie dough, though it was immediately clear very few cookies would actually get made (if any). They each had to _sample_ the dough first, of course, to ensure it tasted good enough to bake. Then they chatted idly about this and that (Thor brought up the events of the last _Game of Thrones _episode, which was a topic the god never seemed to grow tired of, and Bruce was happy to comply), and soon the bowl was half empty.

A short time later, the god and the physicist were joined by two of their teammates, returning home from their night's activities.

"Mmm, something smells delicious," Clint entered the room, head held high as he inhaled the scent of baking goods wafting out of the kitchen. "Tell me it's for eating and more importantly that _I_ can eat it."

"Welcome home," Thor greeted, getting to his feet and spreading his arms wide (spoon with cookie dough on it still in hand). "We baked!"

"I can smell that," said Natasha, coming in behind Clint. She eyed the bowl before Bruce.

He gestured with his chin at the clean spoon on the counter by the bowl. Natasha almost smiled before wordlessly stepping around Clint to grab the utensil and scoop up a mouthful of cookie dough.

"It is nearly finished, I believe," the god nodded at the stove. He added with a laugh, "It will be for everyone to enjoy."

"I didn't know you baked." Clint crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Thor.

"Darcy and Jane have been teaching me how to prepare many Midgardian foods, but it is Bruce who showed me how to create cake."

"More like I, uh, got Jarvis to bring up the recipe," Bruce chuckled. "It was all him."

"If it tastes horrible then, it's all on you." Clint teased and Thor laughed. "Well, since the girls and Bruce have got you covered on cakes and pot roast, then I believe it's my duty to pick up the slack in the area of _grilling_."

"Barbequing burgers and steak and stuff." Natasha explained at the questioning look on Thor's face.

"Manly food." Clint winked.

At this point, he noticed that that between Bruce, Thor, and Natasha, the amount of cookie dough left in the bowl was dwindling quickly.

"Hey, save some for me!" the archer said, opening the cutlery drawer and swiftly getting in on the action before there was nothing left.

The oven beeped loudly. "_Your cake is finished, sir._" Jarvis informed them.

Thor rushed to the oven and pulled the door open.

"Oven mitts!" Natasha said around the spoon in her mouth, before Thor reached into the oven with his bare hands.

Bruce grabbed a pair from a drawer beside the oven and passed them to his friend.

"Many thanks," he apologized. "I'm afraid I was over eager."

"It happens to the best of us," Clint commented, closing his eyes as he ate another large spoonful of dough.

Thor removed the cake from the oven and Bruce showed him how to put it onto a rack to cool. The warm, sweet smell of the fresh baked goods enveloped the kitchen.

"Once it's ready," the physicist said. "Then you can ice it."

"Ice?" Thor asked, glancing unsurely at the freezer.

"No, no, ice like _icing._" Bruce corrected. "Like cupcakes."

"The best part of the cake, let's be honest." Clint added.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him but he shrugged, unapologetic.

"You know it's true." He scraped his spoon on the bowl's sides and Natasha reached in too, almost fighting him for the last of the dough. Their spoons clanged and clattered. She shot him a look and he smirked and the corner of her lip twitched with the hint of a smile.

Conversation between the foursome turned to what the others might be getting up to that night, when speak of the devil, Tony arrived back at the Tower. He announced himself the moment he exited the elevator, subtle as ever.

"Honeys, I'm _home_!"

"How was the date?" Clint called over his shoulder, setting down his spoon, the bowl now practically scraped clean.

"Well, it is _me_, so I'm sure you can imagine," Tony smirked, coming around the corner and joining the others.

"How can I when you haven't asked me out yet?" the archer quipped and Tony shot him a look of annoyance.

"Tony, my friend, welcome back!" Thor greeted.

"You two have the Tower to yourselves for a few hours and you _baked_?" Tony asked, taking in the scene before him. "That's so adorably domestic of you."

"It was Bruce's idea," said the god. "I have done little of this before, and find it enjoyable."

"Which reminds me," Bruce cut in, a smile growing on his face. "Our buddy here not only apparently has a secret talent for cooking, but may or may not be a ladies man back on Asgard."

Clint, Natasha and Tony all turned their attention at Thor, equal parts amused and surprised by this revelation. The god avoided their eyes and chuckled bashfully, confirming the story without uttering a word.

"And here I thought I was only the playboy in the Tower," Tony said seriously. "Details, big guy. I need details."

"You like to think that, it's true," Natasha murmured.

The billionaire was about to respond when his gaze landed on the counter, and more specifically, the empty bowl between the two assassins.

"Wait, is that cookie dough?" he demanded, his request to hear about the god's exploits in Asgardian kitchens forgotten (for now).

"It was." Natasha answered.

"You didn't save me any?" Tony looked incredulously from one person to the next. "Come on! That's the best part of cookies, and you – you…" He shook his head in frustration.

Bruce ducked his head to hide his smile, while Natasha stared right at Tony and licked off her spoon.

"We could just make more," Clint suggested hopefully, glancing at the empty bowl.

Tony waved his hand at the group. "It wouldn't be the same. It'd be pity dough. I don't want your pity dough."

"You make it sound like a serious offense," Natasha leaned her elbow on the counter.

Tony levelled his gaze at her. "Cookie dough is involved. It's_ very_ serious."

Just a short time later, as Thor was finishing mixing up icing for his cake, the last member of the team came home to the Tower. Steve slumped into the room, dirty and disheveled and certainly worse for the wear, practically dragging his shield with exhaustion. He was a bit startled when he saw everyone gathered in the kitchen, but recovered and greeted them with a tired wave of his hand.

"Rough mission?" asked Clint, taking in Cap's state.

Steve blew air out his lips harshly. "You have no idea. That was the opposite of a _quiet little recon_ mission." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"Don't you love those?" Bruce winced with sympathy.

Steve exhaled heavily again, then noted the cake that Thor was icing, the bread dough Bruce was busy kneading, and the empty bowl between Clint and Natasha. "What'd I miss?"

Natasha smirked. "We were about to make Stark some pity dough."

The billionaire narrowed his eyes at her but didn't vocalize disagreement.

The captain's smile was tired but genuine. "That actually sounds really great. I could use some too." He chuckled.

"Shower first," Tony wrinkled his nose in his friend's direction and pointed in the direction of the bedrooms.

Cap was fast – in the time it took him to get cleaned up, Thor and Clint had already whipped up a new batch of cookie dough, which Tony very grudgingly took the first bite of. Bruce replaced his bread dough in its pan so it could rise some more, while Natasha started slicing up Thor's freshly iced chocolate cake.

For a time they argued over what kind of ice cream went best with chocolate cake (Tony had most of them in a second freezer one level down), then what kind of ice cream was best in general. Clint almost started a food fight when he accidentally flicked some icing off his fork at Thor, who then purposely flung some across the counter and narrowly missed Natasha. The raising of her eyebrow was enough to make Thor hastily apologize and shoot the archer a glare. Steve and Bruce exchanged amused glances.

When the cookie dough bowl was empty once again, half of the cake was gone, and Bruce's bread was in the oven making the place smell heavenly, the rest of the team casually departed to their rooms or different parts of the Tower, leaving Bruce and Thor to clean up. They didn't mind, though, considering they had started the baking and created most of the mess anyways.

When the bread was done less than an hour later, however, the others magically reappeared moments following the oven's beep. Tony brought up the subject of Thor's apparent ladies' man status again and though they all pried the god for details, he remained blushing and tight-lipped. Bruce silently decided to ask Darcy about it next time she came to the Tower.

The bread meanwhile had barely cooled before Tony was breaking out a knife and badgering Bruce to _cut it and share already!_

Clint groaned loudly as he savored his slice. "This is the best bread I've ever put in my mouth."

Steve shut his eyes and chewed each mouthful slowly, while Tony, after one bite, had stuffed nearly his entire piece into his mouth and was proceeding to cut himself another while the others were distracted. Even Natasha looked a little bit blissful as she consumed Bruce's fresh bread. The physicist smiled to himself and had to admit he had done a pretty good job, considering he hadn't really made bread in years.

Somehow after that night, Baking Night at the Tower became a weekly event… providing the world wasn't ending that day.

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**A/n:** I feel like this is the start of a series of Domestic Avengers fics or something. ;D Thanks for reading! Feedback is love.


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